The present invention relates generally to fishing lures, and more particularly to a fishing lure having a line activated coil spring gearbox mounted within the body of the lure for driving lure body appendages projecting therefrom.
Attempts to produce a reliable mechanically animated fishing lure date back for more than a century. Fishermen have long known that game fish are attracted to sound and motion in selecting their prey. Scientific tests recently have confirmed this and have shown further that larger game select injured or weakened prey that are relatively immobile rather than risk the loss of energy in chasing active, elusive prey. Thus, a lure that can produce the sound and motion of injured prey while remaining in a localized area or strike zone, provides great benefits to the game fish angler. In order to produce the desired sound and motion, non-mechanical lures require continuous water flow over their surfaces which necessitates the angler to move the lure through body of water and away from the intended target or strike zone. Mechanical lures, however, on account of their ability to translate the motion of the fisherman""s arm to an energy storage mechanism, and then to the lure""s appendages, are able to repetitively produce sound and motion while remaining in the strike zone for extended periods of time, thus improving the chance of a fish, and in particular, a large fish, taking the lure.
Prior attempts to produce a successful mechanical fishing lure have included attempts to store energy in elastic bands, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 1,758,160 to A. L. Lee, and by a hand wound spring motor, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 891,037 to C.D. Caldwell. These attempts failed to provide reliability, ease of reproduction, and were overly complex. Significant improvements in spring driven mechanical lure technology were achieved in recent embodiments such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,674,223, 4,831,767, and 5,035,075 to F. G. Pearce, in which a spring equipped gearbox is driven by a winding spool for increased reliability and realism. As important as these latter advancements are, additional improvements have been found to be necessary in order to produce a realistic spring powered mechanical lure that can withstand the high stress encountered in game fish angling.
The improvements as articulated herein have overcome the limitations of the previously described attempts and have resulted in a mechanical lure that is both durable and reliable under the stress of actual fishing conditions, and which, in particular embodiments, can be configured to a near mirror image of game fish prey.
With the limitations of the previous devices in mind, the present invention provides an improved spring powered mechanical fishing lure that overcomes the deficiencies recited above. In recently improved embodiments, mechanical lures have relied upon a plastic disk or cam that is press-fitted to a plastic shaft extending from the lure""s gearbox to drive the lure appendages. It has been found that, under actual fishing conditions, this cam receives high lateral loading and often separates from the gearbox shaft, resulting in lure failure. Several attempts have been made to overcome this deficiency, including the application of glue to the cam and shaft as well as surface roughening to improve the connection between the cam and shaft. Yet, such attempts have failed to adequately provide the reliability necessary for a successful mechanical lure. Thus, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a singular metal pin, comprised of rustproof material such as stainless steel, is configured with a duality of approximate right angle bends to replace the plastic shaft and cam of the previous devices, thus providing an improved connection between the gearbox and the lure appendages.
Recently improved embodiments of mechanical lures have further employed a spool and line means to wind the lure""s coil spring. This arrangement utilizes a line segment that is routed through a small aperture in the lure wall and into the interior of the lure where it is attached to the winding spool. A swivel is then fitted to the line to prevent the line from retracting into the lure and to provide a connection for the main fishing line. It has been found that the aperture for entry of the line into the lure is best provided for if its diameter is substantially the same as that of the line, thus preventing debris from being pulled into the lure during line retraction and fouling the mechanism. It has also been found that the function of the spool and line means is best achieved through the use of a multi-filament braided line which provides durability as well as the pliability necessary for smooth and accurate wrapping of the line around the spool during winding and unwinding of the coil spring. Yet, successful operation has yet to be fully achieved since braided line, because of its large diameter and multi-filament composition, is easily penetrated by the lure""s hooks or damaged by sharp objects in the fishing environment. This, in turn, causes fraying which weakens the line and further expands its diameter thus preventing the line from fully retracting into the lure aperture during spool take-up. Thus, in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the line and spool means are optimized by the use of a braided line comprised of aramid or high modulus polyethylene fibers which are impregnated with a suitable resin to compact the fibers, thus providing a small diameter, high strength line that resists fraying, hook penetration, and sharp object damage.
Recent mechanical lure embodiments have employed a concave face to provide the water resistance necessary to translate the fisherman""s arm motion to the lure""s coil spring. Since many traditional, non-mechanical lures have also employed a concave face to provide water disturbance to attract game fish, such designs readily lend themselves to mechanical lure configurations. However, in attempts to achieve a mechanical lure that imitates creatures that comprise game fish prey such as minnows and frogs, the employment of a concave face detracts from the desired goal of achieving a lifelike appearance. Thus, a further embodiment of the present invention comprises a lure body that is configured to imitate a live minnow, frog, or other game fish prey, and to which a concave mouth is mounted to the front of the lure body to provide the required water resistance to wind the lure""s coil spring. The concave mouth is further comprised of translucent plastic to disguise its presence, has a circular aperture and channel through which the line is threaded to the winding spool, and employs a tongue at its distal end to interlock with the lure housing during assembly.